Hanyou, Kagome
by littlekitsune1
Summary: Both are thought ought not to exist, in their worlds. Rated for bullying.


Disclaimer: I do not own "Inuyasha" in any shape or form.

A/N: Well this idea has been buzzing around in my head for a while, and I finally decided to finish it, after a conversation with SplendentGoddess, concerning episode 16 of "Inuyasha: the Final Act." If you are not familiar with the changes the anime made to that arc, this may be slightly confusing. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

"Lay down like a good dog, dog-boy," Yoh sneered, and the heavy lackey gripped the hanyou's hair tighter to push his face into the dirt. His scalp burned where the strands had been torn out, and he fought the sting of tears.

"You know…" the boy droned to his followers, "I once kicked a stray dog, and it squealed. I wonder if this one will do the same thing?"

The tears surged to the back of his pinched eyelids again, and he held his breath to hold them back. The dirt rushed into his nose, along with the air; hanging musty and stagnant in his throat, but he couldn't cough it out. Had to be invisible… Had to be invisible…

"Yeah, maybe he'll yelp like a puppy!" cried the more eager of the two lackeys, a grimy boy who smelled of fatty sweet bean paste and millet flour. The delicious scents somehow made him feel sick. The lackey's leader scrunched up his nose in disapproval of the outburst, but otherwise ignored it.

"So that's it," Yoh crooned to his silent captive, kneeling until the boy could feel the moistened heat of his breath tease the fine tips of his ears. Acid words, but smooth as silk. He didn't let his ear flick. "If you squeal like a puppy, we'll let you go." Inuyasha didn't answer, knew that it wouldn't satisfy them until they'd finished having their fun.

They seemed content to let their victim stew in the silence for a while, but then it came. Yoh drew in a sharp breath, before all of it Inuyasha had been holding exploded out of his lungs when the foot made contact with his stomach. The foot came again, striking the same spot and leaving it tingling with the pain. It was soon joined by another, as the eager child who smelled of sweets came forward, anxious to please. The smaller foot made impact in the tender spot right beneath his ribs, and stars danced momentarily before his eyes. Feeling him slacken, the heavy boy let go of his hair to kick against his back. The hanyou gnashed his fangs together in agony, but didn't make a sound. One of the feet struck his bladder, and a small stream of pee was forced out, the acrid smell of urine burning against his panicked senses and giving the tears power with his shame.

He tried to breathe when they leaked out to spike his dark lashes, tried to get some air into his raw lungs, but the next blow only forced it back out again. His tormenters seemed to be losing their patience with his steadfast ability to remain silent, and the heavy boy sat against his bruised back to pinch and twist the canine ears that marked him as what they hated. The dog they wanted to make squeal.

"Squeal," the leader shouted, "squeal like a puppy!"

And he did.

_Kagome, Kaome…_

She hated this game.

_You're a bird in a cage…_

Claustrophobic in the cluster of sneering children, her heart threatened to pound out of her chest like the bird in the cage she was meant to be playing; tears surged hotly against her blindfolded eyelids.

_When, oh when will you come out?_

Silently she waited for the game to end. Waited for the children to have their fun teasing her so that she could go home and ask her mother again why she'd been born to carry the namesake of this stupid children's game. She'd loved the attention at first, but over time her classmates had gotten less and less accepting of her gift. She wanted out; didn't want to play anymore or ever again, but always they teased her "_Kagome, Kagome."_

'_I hate my name," _a single tear fell, the shame that she was so worked up again adding fuel to the fire.

_In the darkness of the dawn…_

_The crane and turtle slipped and fell…_

_Who is behind you?_

She didn't answer this time, though she knew exactly who it was. She always knew, and over the years that had started to scare her. She'd come to realize how unnatural it was. Freakish. She tried to make herself small and invisible.

A voice rang out, "aw c'mon, is she crying again?" The boy sounded exasperated.

"You're no fun, Ka-go-me," another cried out, and behind the blindfold she felt a grubby male hand push her forward, into the dirt. Another tear.

"C'mon, who's behind you, _Kagome, Kagome?_" This time it was a girl.

There was a moment of silence before she finally answered, "… Satoru-kun…"

The silence hung heavy in the area, before the guffaws started.

"She really does always know! What a freak!"

"I heard she told some kid that she sees a blue glowing star that tells her who it is!"

"Ehh? No kidding? That's even more weird!"

They left her, then - shamed and sobbing on the grass, with the _Kagome Kagome _chant echoing in her head.


End file.
